Saturday, May 9, 2015

Blog Tour: Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Black IrisBy:Leah RaederPublished:April 28, 2015Publisher:Atria BooksSource:eARC from publisher for a honest reviewAdd to GoodreadsMature ContentSummary:The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Unteachable.It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for. If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate. She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own. But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help. Which was the plan all along. Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true. She's going to show them all.

My Thoughts:

Black Iris is unlike any book that I've ever read. It takes the reader close up and personal in to the minds of eccentric personalities, Laney, Blythe, and Armin. The plot is a tightly woven web of passion, savage desires, revenge, and the twisted psyche. This was a book that I could not put down, as I was completely fascinated and riveted by every word, action, and thought as it was

portrayed by the main characters.

Ms. Raeder has a beautiful writing style. Her prose flow seamlessly. They are elegant, lyrical, poetic, and completely swept me away. The way Ms. Raeder utilizes the written word to describe, completely dazzled me. I could visualize the characters, setting, and every event that took place. This author is very talented, and has an haunting eloquence with the written word that I envy.

Black Iris is told from the view point of main character, Laney, an unreliable narrator, and shifts continuously from the present to the past. This is a dark and twisted story that really got in to my head; to the point where I was dreaming about it. At the beginning of the story, all we know is that Laney is searching for a guy who she is determined to extract revenge from. The reader quickly realizes that Laney herself is mentally unstable, and dysfunctional. She comes from a background of mental instability, as her mother also suffers from multiple ailments such as bipolarism, depression, and mania. This has impacted her family greatly, and Laney lives a life on the edge, with an of excess alcohol, drugs, and sex with strangers.

Laney meets the wild, and sensual Blythe, an English major, (who loves the written word as much as Laney) and Armin, a gorgeous psych major, (who has the ability to get in to Laney's head, as no one has before.) Together, the three become inseparable, and Laney get's them on board with her revenge plot. These three end up having a very twisted love triangle, filled with jealousy, desire, and co-dependency. What comes next, you will not see coming, as this story is full of surprises and twists at every turn.

My Rating:

I give, Black Iris, by Leah Raeder, 5 Wicked, Complex Puzzle, Passionate Addiction, Cunning Revenge Plot Filled Stars! If you like a story filled with psychological manipulation, you need to read Black Iris! It will lead you down the rabbit hole, in to a whole other realm of dark, crazy, and twisted!

LEAH RAEDER is a writer and unabashed nerd. Aside from reading her brains out, she enjoys graphic design, video games, fine whiskey, and the art of self-deprecation. She lives with her very own manic pixie dream boy in Chicago.